Ulf Landegren – Advanced molecular techniques in genomics, proteomics and medicine

Molecular tools for molecular medicine are in rapid development. Radically improved methods can offer entirely new biological insights, reveal disease processes at potentially curable stages, and serve to evaluate new drugs and monitor responses to therapy.

Our group has pioneered methods such as oligonucleotide ligation assays, padlock, selector, and proximity probes, as well as the novel nFold and ExCirc probes and super rolling circle amplification, currently under development in our lab. We apply these methods together with collaborating partners in a wide range of biomedical analyses, with some focus on malignancy, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease,
autoimmunity and infectious disease.

Our lab also very actively disseminates the techniques we develop, for example by making them available nationwide as services via the Science for Life Laboratory organization, or through licensing leading international biotech and diagnostic companies, or via the so far seven companies we have spun out.

Large sets of molecules can be analysed

Our molecular probes typically represent little molecular machines that include elements participating in affinity reaction to proteins or nucleic acids, and others susceptible to enzyme catalyzed reactions that serve to enhance specificity of detection or sensitivity of readout.

These very general detection procedures permit highly specific solution-phase or localized analyses of large sets of potential biomarkers, extending even to the single-copy level, to evaluate molecular heterogeneity among individual cells and throughout tissues. The techniques are also promising for a new generation of high-performance point of care analyses.

Some of our ongoing projects are highlighted on the page Read more about our projects.